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Are you hoping to enroll in NFL? Well, prepare to take a Wonderlic test. This post gives you all information that you need in this process.

Why Does NFL Use Wonderlic Test?

Football matters. It is indeed one of the games that world waits for eagerly. A lot of money is exchanged in bets and in buying tickets. To the players, the 180 minutes spent sitting in a stadium matter because they earn a living out of it. The investors hope to get returns from the billions of dollars that they spend in the games.

The profits earned from the soccer games explain why football is important. In 2017, the Union of Europeans Football Association Champions League gained revenue of at least 2 billion Euros.

In the United States, each of the National Football League’s team took 255 million dollars in 2017. This is indicative that being a part of a team in National Football League should be taken seriously. It is for this reason that the organizers have adopted the Wonderlic test to select the right players.

Meaning and purpose of a Wonderlic test

The Wonderlic test is a type of an intelligence test developed by Wonderlic Inc to help employees and institutions to narrow down to the right people. It was first administered in 1937 to select pilots who would help the United States in the Second World War.

Henceforth, many institutions started using it to make decisions on the right candidates for a job. Schools have also embraced it to make enrollment decisions. The test is suitable for people above 18 years of age. It measures a person’s capacity to:

Learn

Deal with complex issues.

Make abstractions.

The football player will be requested to answer 50 questions within 12 minutes. Every correct answer is given one point. The timing aspect makes the test challenging for many people. Given enough time, many people can complete it and score highly.

However, the limited time is set to assess how well a person knows the content in a subject. By offering answers within the specific time, it is certain that the student can apply it within the same speed in real life. Such decisions must be made in the football field; the player must identify the winning moves within split seconds.

It offers a perfect prediction of the performance of a football player.

The NFL can tell the best players just by looking at the scores of each player. The questions are developed after an extensive research into the elements of intelligence relevant in football. The levels of reliability are high, which means that the same results would be obtained every time the test is taken. The league can, hence, use the scores to develop training programs.

A wide range of questions are offered

It is possible to eliminate cheating and biases because Wonderlic Inc provides NFL with a range of questions for every test. Chances of the applicants predicting the questions in advance are limited. This also means that different levels of intelligence can be measured.

Assistance and support are offered

The Wonderlic group is supportive of NFL and other employers enough to make adjustments whenever necessary. The group has been making changes to ensure that the tests continue to remain valid and reliable. For instance, the tests have been translated to other languages including Spanish, German, Russian, French and Swedish among others. This means that a non-English football player cannot be left out.

Should intelligence Tests Be Used At All?

There have been complaints that Wonderlic tests should not be used to determine the right players. After all, it is argued that many people have capabilities that cannot be tested using the tests.

Even so, it must not be forgotten that there are thousands of people who want to join the league and who have done exemplary well in the past. This makes perfect sense to subject everyone to an easy-to-administer test yet offering perfect predictions on performance.

Also, it gives the league a sense of credibility because everyone is has an opportunity to prove that they are good enough to get such a prestigious position.

Still, the members of the public have confidence in such a team. They opine that the right processes were utilized to select the players. Such a perception is pertinent in football.

Areas of Focus in Wonderlic tests

The football players are expected to master skills in the following areas:

General Knowledge

Here, the player will answer questions that they ought to know in life such as dates and names of places. This helps the examiner to evaluate how well the person is connected to the real life.

Logic Questions

The player is required to identify patterns in a group of questions and use the information to solve a problem.

Verbal Reasoning

The examiner is interested in understanding how well a person is able to make sense out of analogies and idioms.

Word Problems

Skills on how to solve algebra, average, percentages and decimal problems are tested in this case.

When Do You Get The NFL Wonderlic Results?

In many levels of study, getting the results of a study is one of the most critical moments in academic course. It defines the winners and losers. However, Wonderlic tests are different. You are unlikely to get the details of your score because NFL does not announce the results publicly. Being enrolled to play in league will, however, indicate that you have passed the test.

If you are hoping to join the NFL, you must be prepared to take the Wonderlic test. It involves the following:

Studying

While you do not have a chance to guess the questions in Wonderlic tests, you can be familiar with the:

Logic

Verbal reasoning.

Word problems.

General knowledge problems.

Study guides are available to help you through. They have questions and answers that are likely to appear in your test. The resources can be found online. More so, you should try to handle as many tests as possible. This will prepare you mentally to go through the process.

Note that some of the questions have a lot of unnecessary information. You can lose your focus if you try to dwell on them. As such, you must find a way of getting through the fluff. Try to predict the direction that the examiner is taking in a question to save on time.

Knowing the Do’s and Don’ts of Taking the Tests

You must always have in mind that the Wonderlic test it is timed. Every second you spend on a question will have an implication on your score.

If anything, you have an average of 14 seconds to answer every question. It is obviously a very short time. Accordingly, keep trying other questions just in case you realize that you don’t have ready answers at some point.

Further, you must try as much as possible to answer all questions. This is particularly true when it comes to the questions with multiple choices. Your guess can add you some scores.

Still, you should not attempt to cheat. The tests are proctored, which means that you are going to have an examiner watching over all your actions. You cannot carry a calculator with you to solve mathematics-based questions. The knowledge must be on your fingertips.

Relaxing

Sure, going through the Wonderlic test is the only way you will get to play football with the big names in the industry. This may be your only chance to become recognized for your skills. You must still choose to remain calm and collected during the test.

Always have in mind that you will be standing in your own way if you are overly anxious. There are many people who have gone through the test and passed them. There is no reason why you should fail if you have prepared enough.

Remarkably, many football players do not complete the test because of the time factor. Save for the geniuses, few get a score of 35 out of 50. Always relax knowing that the test is designed with your abilities in mind.

Moreover, you may want to go through some breathing exercises just before you sit for your test. You should also sleep well, exercise, drink a lot of water, and eat to your full.

Talk To Other Footballers

It may help to talk to footballers who have gone through the test and passed or even failed. Those who passed will feed you on the tips that they used to succeed. There are also some lessons you can learn from people who have failed. In a day where many people have social media accounts, it should not be hard to find such people. You could also find a coach to help you through.

The Bottom Line

The Wonderlic test is one of the most reliable and valid tests that NFL uses to test footballer’s abilities and skills. It is an inevitable exercise and hence, you must be prepared well by:

Studying

Taking tests.

Relaxing

Getting advice from people who matter.

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About Michael O'Nair

Our sometimes Media Watchdog, Michael O'Nair enjoys keeping an eye on the happenings in local Baltimore sports airwaves. He also keeps an eye on the betting lines, letting you know when to hold, when to fold, and when to go all in on the Ravens. More from Michael O'Nair

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Lombardi’s Way - A column from the 24×7 founder that focuses on the Ravens, the NFL, Baltimore, the world of sports or life’s inspirations.

Word on The Street - In the spirit of the CBS Sports Minute with Boomer Esiason, RSR brings you Word on The Street, a 90 second (or less) podcast on topics exclusively relating to the Baltimore Ravens.

Ravens Links - We’ll give you the best stories about the Ravens from around the web three times per week.

The Fanimal - If you are an animal about the Baltimore Ravens, then you are a Fanimal! Follow the Russell Street Report blog Fanimal Crackers!

The Edgar Awards - The Edgar Awards will range from the Maryland county that is home to the best Ravens fans to the best Ravens podcast; from the best collection of displaced fans to the best local craft brews that should be part of your next tailgating party.

The Road to RSR - Our writers explains their journeys as fans and how they came to write for our little corner of sports media.